The Curator’s Code via The Curator’s Code (pun intended, har-har)

April 9, 2012

The Curator’s Code is a project created by Brainpickings’ founder, Maria Popova and others*, that aims to increase the attribution and recognition of the origins of anything. It’s idea is simple, to use a via or ht to reflect either direct source attribution (via) or indirect source attribution (ht). They’ve come up with a new symbol/bookmarklet for each, a square for via and an ‘L’ shaped arrow thingy for ht (stands for hat tip, fittingly) and I haven’t figured out how to copy and use them on my iPhone. Alas, my internet Googling (for those of you who haven’t heard of the term Google, I’ve hyperlinked it, of course. lol, a little curator code humor, ha!), I’ve found the code to copy for them:

With so much information at our fingertips nowadays — constantly with smart’things — attribution serves the audience almost more than the originator. By actually seeing hyperlinks to things, an increase in the awareness of every specific idea provides the reader the opportunity to link and learn more about each link. Obviously, the original creator of the idea/product/etc., gets their due, too, but the person attributing becomes an indirect ‘remixer’, creating her/his own idea, or set of ideas, all their own. And thus builds the cycle, the chain, the hierarchy of an edifice open to all. That’s the thing about sharing. It’s like a rising tide, it lifts all boats — all boats in the ocean, that is. The ocean being the body of ideas.

The project is founded upon, unsurprisingly, a hearty framework of extremely logical (is that an oxymoron?! lol) ideas and a mission philosophy both rational and creative. Their introductory information that pops up onthe top of their homepage provides a perfect primer of what they’re about. Enjoy.